VIDEO: Teen’s Joyride In Stolen Car Ends With Help From OnStar

Palm Coast, FL – A teen’s joyride in a stolen car is cut short when OnStar forces the vehicle to slow down mid-chase. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says 16-year-old Atrevious Hamilton is now facing multiple charges, including armed burglary of a conveyance, grand theft motor vehicle, grand theft firearm, and possession of a firearm by a minor, just to name a few. The FCSO learned from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office that a car stolen from the area was being tracked by On-Star and was nearing the Flagler County line on Friday (Jan. 14). FCSO began to work with On-Star, which was able to slow the thief’s car down to 5 mph as it neared Old Dixie Highway on I-95. Instead of using that as a chance to surrender, Hamilton bailed out of the car and fled across I-95 into a wooded area on the east side of the highway. Deputies from Volusia & Flagler and state troopers with Florida Highway Patrol soon converged on the area and set-up a perimeter as FCSO’s K-9 teams and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office’s Air One helicopter began to search for the suspect. As Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly aided in the search, he discovered Hamilton in a set of bushes at a BP gas station on Old Dixie Highway. The sheriff pulled out his weapon and pointed it at Hamilton, but he took off running again, back into the woods. That’s when the FCSO sent a K-9 unit into the woods as Air One tracked Hamilton from above using thermal imaging. The K-9 led deputies straight to Hamilton and bit him when he did not surrender. Hamilton was taken to AdventHealth Palm Coast for medical clearance and treatment of his dog bite before he was taken to the Flagler County Jail. From there, his custody was transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice. In total, Hamilton is charged with armed burglary of a conveyance, grand theft motor vehicle, grand theft firearm, flee to elude with lights and sirens activated, possession of a firearm by a minor, no valid driver’s license, and resisting arrest without violence.